There have been several attempts to automatically ventilate a vehicle. One such system employs ventilation blowers which are automatically operated when the car key is turned off. That system is expensive to implement and unacceptably drains the battery in use.
Another system as disclosed in my previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,469 accomplishes ventilation by opening one or more of the car vents, such as the windows, sunroof or convertible top, when the temperature inside the car is higher than desired. If precipitation is sensed, that system automatically shuts the opened vents.
I have now improved my patented system by adding a number of features which resolve some of the drawbacks of my patented system. For one, my patented system closes the open windows when precipitation is sensed regardless of whether or not the vehicle is occupied. Accordingly, if a child or pet is left in the car and it begins to rain, proper ventilation for the car occupants will not be provided. This can be uncomfortable. In addition, on hot, sunny days, my patented system may not provide sufficient interior cooling due to the fact that the sun will continue to beat down in the car, causing the seats and other parts of the car to become very hot, even if there is air flow through one or more open windows. Another drawback of my system is that it does not account for the possibility of an obstruction which may be present when the windows are automatically closed. If such an obstruction is present, the window motor can burn out. In addition, the obstruction could be a child's finger or hand, for example. In that case, since the windows close without warning as soon as the precipitation begins, the child may be injured.
It would also be desirable in an automobile environment control system to account for problems created by cool or cold weather. For example, if the car windows are left open in the cold, or it becomes cold, it would be desirable to have the windows close. Finally, there is the consideration that it would be desirable to automatically heat the steering wheel on cold days to provide a more comfortable vehicle environment.